


Secrets

by Epiphanyx7



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Oblivious, Pining, Potions, Secrets, Truth Serum, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-31
Updated: 2009-08-31
Packaged: 2017-10-16 20:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/168966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Epiphanyx7/pseuds/Epiphanyx7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em> "I can't lie to you," his traitorous mouth said, instead, and then Merlin wished for the ground to open up and swallow him. It didn't</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> [[Written for Cliché Bingo 2009. Cliché: Truth Serum, Truth Spells, and Truth Drugs ]] Why am I writing this on the last day of Cliché Bingo? WHY do I procrastinate so very muchly?

"It'll wear off in a few more hours," Gaius said soothingly.

Merlin stared at him, horrified. "Gaius -- I'm going to have to spend _hours_. With _Arthur_."

"Well, I suppose you'll have to learn to keep silent," Gaius suggested helpfully.

"Fat lot of good that will do me," Merlin grumbled.

-

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked, after Merlin had pointedly stayed silent for a full twenty minutes.

Opening his mouth to say "I'm fine," Merlin flushed dark at the choked, wheezing noise that came out instead. Arthur stared at him. Merlin stared back. "I can't lie to you," his traitorous mouth said, instead, and then Merlin wished for the ground to open up and swallow him.

It didn't.

"Why should you have to?" Arthur wanted to know.

"Don't talk to me," Merlin said.

"You're being an idiot again," Arthur told him.

" _Please_ don't talk to me," Merlin begged.

Arthur shot him an irritated glare. "Well if you're going to be like that, at least help me get dressed. Should I wear the white shirt or the red one?" 

"Wear the white, you look absolutely beautiful when you're--" And then Merlin clamped a hand over his mouth and ran from the room, mortified.

-

"Don't you just love hunting?" Arthur asked, gesturing broadly at the sunshine, the forest, the plethora of tiny animals he'd ruthlessly slaughtered and was now forcing Merlin to carry around.

"I hate it," Merlin said, because he wasn't in control of his mouth at all. "I hate the stupid forest and the stupid animals and I hate tromping around trying to make all this noise so you don't accidentally kill something that doesn't deserve it, like that damned unicorn. And for the love of all that is sacred, Arthur, I really hate having to follow you around as you prance about, wearing breeches that are almost indecently tight, bending over and getting all sweaty and flushed and whatnot." He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to inhale, and exhale, and _not_ open his stupid mouth.

Arthur was staring at him when he opened his eyes. "What is wrong with you today?" He said. "Honestly, Merlin, I've never seen you in such a foul mood."

Merlin wanted to say _Nothing's wrong, sire_ , except if he tried to say that it would be a lie and he'd just end up wheezing until Arthur insisted he visit Gaius. That had already happened twice today, and both times he'd coughed and choked on a lie, Arthur had hovered right over Merlin's shoulder demanding to know what was wrong, which meant that Gaius couldn't even try any helpful magic to fix it.

"I _hate_ those breeches," Merlin said instead, and then he huffed and stomped off into the woods.

-

"Did you fight with your girlfriend or something?"

"I don't have a girlfriend," Merlin said, sullen, trying to wrestle Arthur into his banquet clothes, which of course was made infinitely more difficult because Arthur wasn't even pretending to be helpful.

"Well, Gwen's been acting weird today, too--"

"Gwen is not my bloody girlfriend!" Merlin almost yelled.

Arthur stared at him.

Merlin stared back.

"Right," Arthur agreed, patiently, patting Merlin's shoulder. "She just wants to be friends, I take it?"

"You're such an ass," Merlin said. "Gwen and I were never -- together, I have no idea where you got that idea, your royal pratliness. And you can lace your own stupidly tight breeches, as well, because--" and then he clamped his hand down over his mouth and bit back the rest of the sentence, trying not to say anything about the proximity to Arthur's cock, while Arthur looked at him as if he were daft.

\--

"Well, Merlin, can you tell me that the sky is pink just yet?" Gaius asked.

"It is pink, it's sunset, Gaius, but I still can't tell a lie, no. Not even something little." Merlin hissed. He'd been embarrassed in front of Morgana, and Gwen, and Uther, and Arthur was acting like more of a prat than normal.

"Strange," Gaius said. "I'm going to go--"

"Do some research, yeah, I'll just be sitting in this corner trying not to confess my undying love to Arthur while you're off," Merlin said, and then he groaned and reminded himself that hitting his head off of the wall would only result in a headache.

Gaius looked sort of desperate to leave him there.

"Go, Gaius," Merlin sighed. "Just-- go."

\--

"So why did you two break up?" Arthur wanted to know. He was more than half drunk as he stumbled back into his quarters, tunic half-undone already. He was flushed and warm and incredibly intoxicated, breathing evening out even as he stood and let Merlin undress him. "You two are -- you know, all sickeningly adorable and so forth."

"Me and Gwen were never dating," Merlin said.

"Oh."

"Yeah,"

"Well why not?"

"I'm really done talking about this," Merlin said, shoving Arthur down onto the bed. He lay there, golden and haloed in the faint firelight, looking all relaxed and dazed and pleasant, a soft smile on his face, and Merlin really needed to get out of there right now before he said something else utterly revealing. "Good night, Arthur," he said.

"Night, Merlin," Arthur mumbled, turning over and sighing into his pillow.

\--

"Here," Gaius handed him a potion as he walked into the workshop. "Try this," and for once Merlin didn't complain about the taste or even the length of time it had taken Gaius to fix it, instead he just tipped the cup back and drained the entire thing, one messy, disgusting mouthful after another.

"Please tell me," Merlin rasped when it was all gone. "Please tell me that thing - whatever it was - is going to let me keep secrets and tell lies once more. Because if not, Gaius, I will actually cut out my own tongue."

"You should be fine before the sun comes up," Gaius said. "At least the potion will give you some sort of control over when you speak, until the truth spell wears off."

"Thank the gods," Merlin muttered, and then he clomped up the stairs to his room and threw himself down onto the bed.

-  



End file.
